


Our Silence is Broken

by ZaccRiseC3P



Series: Songs That Tell a Story [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining, Song: Whereabouts Unknown (Rise Against), Songfic, basically these two idiots miss each other but they're both too proud to admit it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:21:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29275374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZaccRiseC3P/pseuds/ZaccRiseC3P
Summary: Oz just wants Qrow to come home.  Qrow would be home in a heartbeat if he knew that.  Too bad he thinks Oz wants nothing to do with him right now.  Perhaps the bird will pay the headmaster a visit anyway...
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Ozpin
Series: Songs That Tell a Story [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149989
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	Our Silence is Broken

**Author's Note:**

> The first Ozqrow songfic in a series of four! I was really proud of how this came out. Goes without saying, but you don't have to know the song to understand the story! I got a little ahead of myself with it anyway XD Regardless, I hope you enjoy!

****

**I see your face in my sights  
I hesitate and then look for a sign  
Somewhere in the sky**

The night was still, calm, peaceful- almost suffocatingly so. Not a star hung in the sky as Oz stared through the glass of his office window, waiting for something- anything to appear. 

What he really wanted, more than anything, was to see a little black crow flying through the air, landing gracefully on the balcony. The odds of that happening- of _the_ bird he wanted to see appearing out of the black void of the night- were slim to none, but he held out hope. Eyes glued to the horizon, he waited with extreme patience to see if his little bird would come home.

Normally, the clear night would have given Oz some peace of mind. He could see every building on campus, the water of the harbor glistening in the distance. Nothing hidden, nothing concealed, just the view of Beacon he had come to find a sense of comfort in- like he was home. And yet, when his partner was off on these dangerous missions, he could never be fully at peace.

The radio silence from Qrow left Oz in a state of constant stress. The avian man was supposed to have made his way home three days ago, but instead, Oz was being given the silent treatment. He couldn't even feign surprise, but left a bad taste in his mouth all the same. For the millionth time that day, Oz checked his scroll. It was almost one in the morning, and still there was nothing from Qrow. Not even a text.

No surprise, considering how he left.

The huntsman had informed Oz of his latest free-lance mission minutes before his departure, and Oz did not handle the news well. Qrow described an assignment that needed four huntsmen at best to be successful, but the fool was going to try to do it all by himself. Oz pleaded with him not to leave- to no avail. Stubborn bastard stormed out in a huff after telling Oz that he didn’t need his permission to do his job.

_“Your semblance isn’t going to be the thing that gets you and others killed, Qrow. Your reckless decision making is.”_

The words echoed in Oz’s head as he remembered the deafening silence that was the response. Qrow had stepped onto the elevator and left Vale without a sound. Oz hadn’t heard from him since.

Was Qrow back in Vale? Was he still working on clearing out the Grimm? Was he even alive?

Every answer Oz offered was simply speculation- and it was killing him.

_I just want the silence to end._

Every day, Oz felt like he was wading through molasses waiting for Qrow to send him proof of life. Especially since Qrow should have been home by now. By the gods, why wasn’t he home yet?

Of course, logistically, Oz could always call first. Check in on his partner. Hear his voice again. But every time he debated it he would stare at Qrow’s contact information, his finger hovering over the “call” button, unable to pull the trigger. Why should he have to be the one to reach out? Qrow was the one who left. He should know better than to do something so reckless and stupid and then leave Oz to wonder if he’s even still out there. 

_How petty of me,_ Oz chastised himself. And yet, the call remained unmade.

As Oz slipped his scroll back into his pocket, the faint ding of the elevator invaded his mind. His head shot around a perfect 180 degrees to check if the elevator was opened. Nothing. Crushed with disappointment, he turned back to the window, realizing that it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

_What a lovesick fool I’ve become._

The shattered moon floated in the sky, covering the whole campus in an inviting, almost enchanting glow. Why was he wasting such a beautiful night moping indoors? He took a deep breath, grabbed his cane, and made his way towards the elevator.

As soon as he stepped outside, he felt his lungs open up. The fresh air did him some good, but still he kept his eye on the sky, tricked into believing that the slightest sign of movement could be the one thing he longed to see. Finally, he reached the cliff, and looked out at the beautiful lake valley that Beacon was situated on. A view he never got tired of seeing. He glanced up, admiring the broken light bulb in the sky. For some reason, he found himself praying, pleading to- well, honestly, he didn’t even know who- the gods that abandoned them? Qrow himself? A cosmic force of circumstance? Maybe all of the above.

_Please. Please come home._

****

**The blackest night, the midnight sun  
The covered tracks and days spent on the run  
The strangers we’ve become**

For the millionth time that day, Qrow checked his scroll. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing to check, but that didn’t stop him from hoping. He desperately wanted to hear something, anything, from Oz. A call, a text, a fucking messenger pigeon would have put Qrow’s thoughts at ease. Just something to say “I want to know where you are.” An “I miss you” would mean the world to him.

Instead, all he had was silence. Qrow flopped back on the shitty motel mattress he was sitting on and groaned. He threw his scroll to the side and it rolled across the bed, stopping just short of the edge.

This? This sort of shit was the reason Qrow drank. People were too complicated, alcohol was simple. The avian man pulled his flask from his breast pocket and put the metal canister to his lips. Dry. Of fucking course it was. A scream ripped through Qrow’s throat as he instantly sat up and chucked the flask across the room. It collided with the wall and hit the floor with a metallic clatter.

 _Serves me right,_ Qrow thought, dropping his head into his hands. _This is what I get for leaving him like this._

Clearly, Oz was still pissed, and the worst part was, he had every right to be.

The huntsman was in over his head with this mission, and his semblance could take none of the credit. Grimm and bandits attacked him at the same time. The sheer volume of Grimm made it a three man job at minimum, and he had charged in on a solo mission and for what? Self-appointed redemption? Qrow just couldn’t accept that one of his Salem-related missions had fallen apart and he was forced to abort it. Over and over again, Oz assured him that it wasn’t a problem, that all he cared about was that Qrow was safe and the location of the relics was still concealed. No harm, no foul, right? But it wasn’t alright. Qrow quickly grew antsy, restless, ready to start the next assignment ASAP, but Oz said he didn’t need Qrow’s help with anything.

So Qrow decided to seek out a mission of his own. If Oz didn’t think he could help then he would prove that he was still useful in other ways- useful to Oz, to the world, to himself. He was more than aware of how dangerous this mission was, even for a huntsman of his skill, but he took it anyway. He took a job he knew he might not return from and, to make matters worse, he snapped at Oz when the immortal showed the slightest amount of concern for his well being and safety. Now, they refused to talk, both going silent for more than a week. Suddenly, it was like they didn’t know each other anymore.

All Qrow could do was rub his face with his hands. Separating his fingers just enough so he could see out of one eye, his vision landed on his scroll screen again. _Nope, not gonna look at it again,_ he told himself. Instead, he stood up and walked to the window. Leaning against the windowsill, he looked out at the small town he was staying in. Slowly, he shifted his gaze up. The night was pitch black, the shattered moon hanging overhead, like a constant reminder: Sometimes what’s broken can’t be fixed. Maybe Qrow was right all along, maybe he does only hurt the people he cares about, except he doesn’t have his bad luck to blame for the pain he causes. He hurts people himself.

Deep down, perhaps that was why he lived the way he did. Always on the move, always covering his tracks, never staying in one place too long or making meaningful connections of any kind. 

Except for one.

Oz was the exception- an exception Qrow had wanted to make for so long, and when he finally did he was grateful. He felt like he had a safe place to land, a place- a person- to call home.

_I just wanna go home._

Logistically, if he left now, he could make it to the apartment by one in the morning. Wait, who was he kidding? Oz wasn’t home, the maniac was probably still at the academy. Which would mean that it would take Qrow an extra twenty minutes to fly across Vale.

 _Still doable,_ Qrow told himself.

Even if Oz doesn’t want to talk, that’s fine. Right?

Qrow’s chest tightened at the thought. All he wants is to talk to Oz again, but he would settle for seeing him, being near him, even for an hour.

 _There’s no time like the present,_ Qrow thought.

The huntsman grabbed his phone, his weapon, and his disappointingly empty flask and popped the window open.

_I’m coming, Oz._

****

**These whereabouts unknown, please now you can come home  
It’s alright  
I long for the moment our silence is broken  
It’s alright, yeah, ‘cause all is forgiven  
If you could just listen**

Sleep was out of the question, but that didn’t mean Oz wasn’t exhausted. The silver haired man was lying in the grass, his suit jacket bunched up behind his head as a makeshift pillow. He watched the moon float across the sky, having been staring at it for so long he could actually track it’s movement. A rustling in the grass caught his attention and he turned his head, surprised to see a little black crow hopping up to him. What are the odds?

“Hello, little crow,” he sang softly.

The bird tilted it’s head, as if it had heard it’s own name.

“You know, you remind me of a friend of mine,” Oz teased.

A tiny hop forward was the animal’s response.

The headmaster smiled, “He shares your name, although his has a peculiar spelling.”

_Squawk!_

A laugh rose in Oz’s chest. “Of course, he’s not here right now- off saving the world, in a valiant effort to help others- one of the many reasons I love and admire him…” His voice faded out as his thoughts became hazy and unclear. Why was he saying all of this?

The silver haired man turned to face the sky as his thoughts continued to spill from his mouth. “I feel lost when he leaves. Even now, after our little spat before he left.” Oz shook his head, “I shouldn’t have gotten so angry. It wasn’t my place. After all, he is a huntsman at heart. I knew that when we started this,” Oz added fondly. “All I want to do is hear his voice again, see him again, apologize like I should have a week ago. But I can’t. So here I am, telling you instead.”

Again, his gaze fell upon the bird, who sat frozen not an inch from his face.

“Now if only I could work up the courage to repeat all of this to him…” Oz grumbled.

Oz gently closed his eyes, hoping that the cool summer breeze would be enough to lull him to sleep. Quietly, the bird let out a small coo and a strong gust of wind brushed against Oz’s cheek. Assuming the bird had made its departure, Oz’s heart jumped into his throat when he heard a raspy voice say, “Maybe you won’t have to.”

The headmaster’s eyes snapped open at the speed of light. He shot into an upright position and saw that his partner was sitting less than six inches from him, legs crossed, his dark hair ruffling in the breeze, his pale red eyes glistening in the moonlight. Eyes that looked absolutely drained of energy. How far had he flown?

“Oh gods,” Oz sighed in relief, “it was you.”

Qrow cocked an eyebrow, “Did you really think it was just some random bird?”

“No, not at all,” Oz admitted. “It… it was just easier…”

A crooked grin threatened to break through. “Are you telling me I have to turn into a crow every time you need to apologize?”

“Gods, I hope not,” Oz smiled with a shake of his head.

They shared a laugh- the first positive interaction they had in what felt like a lifetime. Oz was grateful. He slowly turned, mirroring Qrow’s cross-legged position before carefully caressing his face. His smile grew slightly wider when Qrow didn’t flinch away.

“Where have you been?” Oz whispered, his anger having fully dissipated into concern. “You were supposed to check in days ago.”

“I know,” Qrow sighed. “I guess I just… assumed you needed space. That you would call when you were ready.”

Oz leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together before breathlessly admitting, “I’ve wanted to call you for days.”

“So why didn’t you?”

Answering the question aloud was harder than Oz thought it would be. He pulled away his hand and head, choosing to stare at the ground instead. “I don’t know. I suppose… I suppose I was waiting for you to find your own way home… too proud to admit that maybe I had something to apologize for, too.”

“Well… I’m home,” Qrow managed.

Oz smiled again, “Yes, you are.”

Silence overtook them, engulfed them. He came back. He was home. He was safe. Oz didn’t know what to say next. Qrow picked at the grass like a child at a playground. Clearly he was at a loss, too. Someone had to break the silence.

“Qrow, I’m so sorry,” Oz finally offered. “I shouldn’t have said what I said. I was angry and scared and-”

“But you were right,” Qrow cut in.

“What?”

“I was in over my head, Oz. After I fucked up my last assignment for you I… I needed to do something. To show you that I was still useful…”

Suddenly, the pieces fit together.

“So when I told you not to go…” Oz’s voice faded out.

Qrow’s gaze shifted to the ground and he nodded to confirm. The sentence completed itself in Oz’s mind.

“Darling, look at me,” Oz pleaded

Qrow didn’t listen, in fact, he closed his eyes, shutting the doors to the pools of pale red that Oz had come to know and love.

Even though Qrow refused, Oz continued, “You don’t have to prove yourself to me, Qrow. Not as a huntsman or a friend or even a partner. I know who you are. I know what I signed up for.”

Finally, the doors opened, and golden-brown joined sparkling red once again.

“I never doubted you for a second. I- I simply couldn’t stand the thought of losing you. And after your last assignment went awry I... couldn’t shake the idea that your next mission, no matter what it was, could be your last.”

Silently, a tear fell from Qrow’s eye and splattered into the grass. He let out a sniffle as Oz used both hands to cup his face and press their foreheads together once again.

“I love you, Qrow Branwen,” Oz declared, his voice desperate, raspy, shaking. “Please, I’m begging you. Never doubt that.”

When he didn’t receive a response, Oz was forced to pull back, still holding Qrow’s face in his hands. The tears were still streaming down his partner’s face, now leaving thin trails of water, like rain dripping down a window. But a glimmer of sunshine was breaking through the slight smile on Qrow’s lips. Slowly, Oz gently coaxed Qrow’s lips to meet his. Finally, the peace Oz was so desperate to find washed over him as he held his partner’s lips in his. They were soft, comforting, warm. After the painful time they spent apart, Oz couldn’t believe how much a kiss from this man made him feel like he was honestly, truly home. The kiss finally broke and Oz waited for his partner’s response.

“I promise to try,” Qrow whispered weakly.

That was good enough for Oz. He wrapped Qrow in a hug and let his momentum carry them to the ground. Qrow wrapped his arms around Oz’s waist and there they stayed, laying interlocked in each other’s arms. 

Oz was content to remind Qrow that he loved him as many times as he needed him to. For now, all was forgiven, and even though their current conversation had ceased, the silence was finally broken.

**Author's Note:**

> These two have been through enough. They deserve happiness, and I am here to push that agenda through mountains if I have to.
> 
> If you want to listen to the song I based this on, it's called [Whereabouts Unknown by Rise Against!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwxjbZIY6AU) It's really good, I highly recommend it!
> 
> And, if you're interested, I have a fan blog dedicated to RWBY where I post writing updates and other stuff! You can find me @[zacs-of-rwby](https://zacs-of-rwby.tumblr.com//)! That is all! Have a wonderful week and stay safe! Until next time ❤️💚


End file.
